Talking Headways: A Streetsblog Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 554: Getting California High Speed Rail Done Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

This week we're back live for another show from Manny's in the Mission featuring Streetsblog SF editor Roger Rudick interviewing California High Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri. They chat about reducing costs, systems in other countries, and take questions from the audience.

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Episode 553: Life After Cars Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

This week Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon of the War on Cars podcast join the show to talk about their new book: Life After Cars – Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile. We discuss opposing views, Turtle Jesus, and potential offramps towards car free cities.

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Replay: Episode 78 - Measuring Carbon Emissions at Street Level Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

This week on Talking Headways we're flashing back to exactly ten years ago to Episode 78 with Dr. Kevin Gurney, now at Northern Arizona University. We chat about measuring emissions at the street, block, and neighborhood level and the data that enables it.

I wanted to flash back to this one this week because I recently saw Kevin pop up in a New York Times article discussing all the work that the administration is cutting, including three of his projects. I'll link the article in the show notes.

But we talked about his work on the podcast ten years ago and it's important to understand what we may be losing, which is the measurement of emissions from cars and buildings in cities. In listening back to this episode, there are lots of things that are evergreen about it, in fact I would argue we still need policy that allows us to collect data and measure emissions so we can make better decisions as advocates and operators. I hope folks can listen to this one and be inspired by the work, but also become more dedicated to saving it. We lost a lot in the dark ages, we don't need to go back there again.

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Episode 552: Under a Highway in Birmingham Alabama Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we're joined by Ben Donsky of Agora Partners to discuss City Walk BHAM in Birmingham Alabama, a public space project that connects two sides of the city separated by a highway. We chat about positive public space and what it takes to make projects like this happen.

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Episode 179: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Another Trip to China Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

We're Han Solo again but this time I'm sharing some thoughts from my trip to China in addition to the news. We've got stories about traffic lights in Japan, the creation of a new electric company, and housing costs. And of course there's much much more.

Below are the show notes:

Middle class housing - National Housing Conference

China builds quickly - Vox

Ann Arbor reinvinting power company - Fast Company

Dutch look to regulate bigger vehicles - Dutchnews.nl

Mosquito borne illnesses - Vox

Seattle light rail testing - Seattle Times

New Mexico free childcare - NM Source

Dallas heat island - KERA News

CA passes SB79 TOD bill - Los Angeles Times

Return to pre-covid routines brings bad air - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Flint poverty reduction for babies - Guardian

Japan's blue stop lights - Jalopnik

Low fares underused - Smart Cities Dive

Rent eats more - Joint Center for Housing Studies

BONUS ITEMS

Sweden's secondhand stores - The Conversation

Particulate matter drives devastating dimentia - Guardian

One pedal braking outlawed in China - Leravi

Bonds for fusion power authorized - City of Albuquerque

Who doesn't have a car? NRDC

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Episode 551: Architectural Epidemiology Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

This week we're joined by Adele Houghton of the Harvard School of Public Health and Carlos Castillo-Salgado of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to discuss their new book Architectural Epidemiology: Architecture as a Mechanism for Designing a Healthier, More Sustainable, and Resilient World. We chat about how to connect the social and architectural determinants of health before projects get off the ground in order to create more healthy neighborhoods.

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Replay: Walking with Pedestrian Dignity Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

This week we're on vacation, but we're flashing back to Episode 391 and chatting with Jonathon Stalls about his wonderful book Walk: Slow Down, Wake Up, and Connect at 1-3 Miles Per Hour. He also talks about Pedestrian Dignity and his 2010 walk across the US.

Hope everyone is doing well. I'm in China this month and will be back with new episodes next week, but this week I'm hanging out in Beijing and didn't have time to produce a new episode. Check out my Instagram @theoverheadwire for pictures, mostly for fun but also including some transportation shots. In the meantime, let's flash back to 2022 and our discussion with the amazing Jonathon Stalls of Pedestrian Dignity.

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Episode 550: Crash First, Fix Later Mentality Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

This week we're joined by former FHWA Deputy Administrator Andrew Rogers to discuss how congress can help reduce traffic deaths and collisions with the use of technology. We discuss the best time to influence congress on transportation and the crash first, fix later mentality.

Find out more at https://www.marscoalition.org/

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Episode 549: Reminiscing About the Future Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

This week we're joined once again by Sam Sargent of VTA for part 2 of a conversation about transit agencies and special projects and programs. Sam chats with us about Austin's light rail plans, Caltrain electrification and moving diesels to Peru, and gives some thoughts on visionary transit leadership such as Randy Clarke at WMATA.

YouTube video of Caltrain heading out on the boat.

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Episode 548: Wonders of the South Bay Sep 04, 2025

Show notes

This week on Talking Headways we're joined by Sam Sargent of VTA, formerly Caltrain and Capital Metro, for part 1 of a conversation about transit agencies and special projects and programs. This week Sam chats with us about VTA's history, current projects and future prospects in the South Bay.

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Support the show on Patreon

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And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com